It sure has been a very challenging and difficult journey over these last 14 months going through this deep and dark trauma of discovering all these murdered children across our stolen lands...known as colonial Canada. Many of these children are still yet to be discovered. This has been a challenging time processing all of this. I feel as though I am beginning to come to terms with this horrific reality. The emotional scaring has been so difficult to examine and feel. In honour of these beautiful children I had to go through it to truly understand my relationship to this. What it means to me as an Anishanabe, a 60’s scoop survivor, a direct descendent of the horror of residential schools.
In the second photo above is a ceremonial letting go and turning my back on anything and everything, Christian. I took all of these items and references out of my home 5 years ago, said a prayer to the CREATOR and dropped down a tobacco offering. It was done as part of my spiritual journey to decolonize. This act symbolizes my cutting these ties permanently and completely surrendering to my Indianess, my sovereignty as an Anishanabe soul here on our land, my land. I’ve also made the commitment 5 years ago as well to never step inside a church ever again. Never. I’m absolutely and 100% done. The roots must be completely severed from the abuser in order to completely surrender to the healing and move on. That is my experience.
And so it is and so it will be, focusing on the new path forward. Believing in the future of my people, our healing and wellness being the seat of the soul so to speak. Trying to be an example of the power rather than a power of example. Creator spirit is this light I am speaking to. Although this year has been a really challenging one for so many effected by these tragedies we will continue to heal and find new and meaningful ways to come together and work as a family should, the human family. We all can benefit from learning how to be more loving towards one another. In honour of the souls of these children I will continue to try and be a better me each and every day. Sending love and healing to everyone who needs it...all my relations, MAJ
These are indeed very dark and challenging times. The very fact that the international criminal court will not follow through with an investigation into these Active crime scenes is perhaps some of the greatest injustice I have ever seen in my lifetime. It’s beyond appalling and should be recognized for the abortion of the rule of law that it is.
That is exactly what the rule of law is on our holy and sacred lands. A grotesque perversion of colonial white settler racism in its ugliest and shittiest of forms. Oh Canada, your home on stolen lands. Killing little innocent children in the name of progress, in pride of being a so called Canadian. Super fuckin gross and super fuckin disturbing if you ask me.
Everything I have said has come true up to this point. The absurd apology of the pope of the Catholic Church is meaningless. It has zero depth and weight. Apologizing for murder wouldn’t cut it in any courtroom across Canada as a solution that would suffice. How the fuck could it? Any normal person knows that getting away with crimes against humanity is much like nazi Germany getting away with war crimes against the Jews.
It is skin crawling disgusting. I think of anyone being proud to be a Canadian and it gives me the major shivers and hee bee gee bees. Holy fuck is right. Giving your life in honour of this country and it’s real history of murdering tens of thousands of innocent children and building your settler dreams on the very backs of these dead children makes you really think about values. I know this:
I’m absolutely grateful to be awake and to have the veil lifted so that I can truly see things as they are. I am a sovereign Anishanabe. I will continue to speak for those whose voice was robbed of them by Canada and their agents of death, the Catholic and Christian churches along with the RCMP. All twisted fucks. I’m in a place of deep healing and reflection and I will need some time to rest for a while...my soul is tired. My heart is heavy and I need time to heal from these continual acts of genocide...MAJ
Good afternoon to each and everyone who continues to find me here @ Jacobson native art. Well as many of us know today is the first annual national truth and reconciliation day. Definitely another move in the right direction but a very small move it is. There is such a list of grievances against this nation called Canada.
There are many agents who are guilty of genocide and crimes against humanity including the Catholic Church, many other Christian churches as well including many of the police forces as well as the RCMP. It’s absolutely disgusting on so many levels. How, (their rule of law was invented on stolen Indian land) when the white man says to follow the rule of law but they cannot follow it themselves. They choose to find ways to hide from their crimes, to bend the law, the rules and everything else they get their fuckin hands on, to their own advantage. It’s a real dr. Jeckel and mr. Hyde scenario.
Canada and most Canadians simply cannot be fully trusted. Most Canadians are complete airheads when it comes to the history of how Canada came to be. (Even the white man in me knows this) How they got what they got....(stolen goods from stolen lands resources etc). Most Canadians dont even know how bad they got it. They are so colonized and assimilated that they literally can’t even think for themselves so they vote for white colonial so-called leaders to do the thinking for them.
And that is exactly the reason why Canada continues to fail miserably with us First Nations. Obviously there are tens of thousands of more reasons on top of that but the reality is Canada is a genocidal program built on the murder of us First Nations and the continual raping and exploitation of our resources. Our wealth. The colonial doctrine of discovery is a racist and discriminatory action against First Nations and other indigenous tribes throughout the world.
Canadians whether they know it or not, their so called country is built on this foundation. Land theft, resource theft, murder, rape, stealing our children, racism, discrimination, hate, violence, force and control. Building your dreams as Canadians on the backs of oppression, on the very backs of us First Nations. That is what Canada is. That is what it means to identify as a Canadian. It’s gross I know. But this is the truth. And we cannot have true reconciliation until we deal with these matters of truth.
I’ve always said since my awakening into my own process of decolonization and for the last few years now being in the pursuit of my sovereignty as Anishanabe that reconciliation will take time. In fact, the way I see it is that the cultural fabric of this country is still in the discovery of the truth phase. We have not even truly begun to deal with what real reconciliation will look like.
Still even in the thickness of all of this, I must continue to remain hopeful. The fog of assimilation is beginning to lift albeit very slowly across our lands. I have friends who wouldn't be able to grasp any of this 5 years ago. They now can talk more openly with me about it. I see organizations and people beginning to stand up more and more with regard to how this must shift and change for all First Nations and Canadians alike.
For now we will continue to move forward each and every day. I’m willing to seek this change and I’m willing to open up my heart to others who want to walk this path with us. I truly believe that it will remain a difficult challenge for Canada to learn how to shift and change with us. The government knows that they are in the wrong. Most of them know it. But greed, selfishness and exploitation still lead the way in the Canadian mind set. And let’s be honest, until our white settler brothers and sisters learn how to decolonize themselves, we are still a long long way from real and meaningful change. These types of Canadian settler sickness must be dealt with. It is the very poison that keeps the genocidal colonial machine still alive in this, the 21st century.
Check out this 6 minute Video by one of the great First Nations teachers of our time: Arthur Manuel on aboriginal title:
Wishing each and everyone love and healing during this tragic and very difficult time. It has taken me a few days to try and process this new discovery of these most beautiful of our people, our children. This particular new finding of 751 bodies is beyond understanding. I can’t even reason it. It’s just so dark.
This tragedy hits home for us here @ Jacobson native art. The mother of our son is from Cowessess First Nations. This means that because we follow matriarchal way of our teachings my son is tied to Cowessess. This is his First Nation. Those children recently discovered would have been great aunties and uncles, cousins family members of both Kassondra and our boy Sagein Wisdom.
We’ve had some time to cry for these children, these lost relationships with our family members. We will carry on for each and everyone of them. I painted with a new apprentice last night who is also Anishanabe. Before he came, he placed an offering and spirit feast on behalf of our family for the lost children in Kamloops, for those precious 215. He is living up that way and made the trip to come and learn more about this art form and the spiritual powers and energies contained in the practice of it.
Pictured above along with the candle lights of 751 is my son Sagein smudging with shell, white buffalo sage and an eagle feather. My son is 3 years old and he is such a powerful spirit. He is the strongest yet most gentle loving medicine I have ever known...he has the power to move mountains. With a strong resilience and spirit of self determination, we Anishanabe will walk in love strength and pride for them, for ourselves and our loved ones. We are the seeds they couldnt kill...we will live on for them. For us...
I am truly at a loss for words today. I am beyond shocked, and absolutely horrified by this new discovery today. I feel so numb that I just wanna be left alone today. I feel so uncomfortable about this. I can’t even wrap my mind around it it’s just that ugly, dark and horrifying what this country Canada and their churches (Vatican) including their agents (the RCMP) are guilty of.
This is clear evidence of genocide and crimes against humanity. An apology from the pope would be a fuckin insult at this point. Those criminals need to be held accountable for their crimes. They are murderers. All of them. This whole thing is an active crime scene.
I can’t really say anything more at this point. I just feel devastated. To all our familes and children: I love you. I stand with you. I’ll do everything I can to continue to speak truth to power. For now, I will rest and pray.
Here is an article by an old friend of mine named Tamara. We used to go to ceremonies and gatherings and would meet up and spend deep spiritual time in our culture. Much respects for all her work towards telling the truth about genocide, colonialism and decolonization. Please read it, she is super smart and tells it like I do. With honesty as her weapon of choice:
Sometimes it just seems so out of reach this idea of truth and reconciliation. I feel really angry at Canada and the Christian church. I feel disgusted that no one has been held accountable for these crimes. Not Canada, not the church, not the priests or nuns or government officials who were and are responsible for this atrocity.
These are crimes against humanity. They are crimes against us. It is beyond tragic. I am totally heart broken by this discovery yet again. How in the world do you trust anything “Canadian” when time after time this horrific history rises up from its ashes and speaks literally from the grave about these innocent and treasured 215 souls of native children who were massacred?
It’s simply too hard to accept these truths. I feel devastated by it. The trust for Canada? A vanishing. An emptiness. A ghost of nothingness. These are just a few of the reasons on why I don’t identify as a Canadian. I am Anishanabe. Period. I’ll always belong to my people. We are sovereign. We always will be.
Fuck Canada and fuck that ridiculous Canadian flag. And fuck that cross too. None of these entities deserve my respect. None. If you cannot see this as it really is which is absolutely disgustingly wrong on every level, then indeed you will need some help with that. Being a proud Canadian is a delusion. There is something the matter with your understanding of history. There is something wrong with your identity. Your identity in being a Canadian.
Even hard to say this....all my relations, MAJ
For these 215 children...this is for them in eternal love:
